Intercollegiate athletics play a major and highly visible role in both higher education and the broader world of sports entertainment. A significant component of the entertainment derived from college athletic contests is related to the atmosphere promoted, both formally and informally, amid and around athletic events. The current study was designed to look specifically at the environment surrounding intercollegiate football games, and it attempted to gauge the "excitement factors" of selected institutions participating at the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I level of football competition. Using criteria established on the perceived "excitement factors" associated with college football games, the following schools were found to have the most desirable college football contest environments: Auburn, LSU, Iowa, Mississippi, Michigan, Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, and Nebraska. The least exciting contest environments were found at institutions that included Vanderbilt, Washington State, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, and Wake Forest. (Contains 4 tables.)